Adjustable socket wrench



June 12, 1928.

J. H. DOWD ADJUSTABLE SOCKET WRENCH Filed May 5, 1926 Patented June 12, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. DOWD, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG-NOR TO THE BILLINGS & SPENCER COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

ADJUSTABLE SOCKET WRENCH.

Application filed May 3,

This invention relates to socket wrenches of the type having a brace and a socket head provided with a. plurality of angular-1y spaced sockets varying in size from one another, the socket head being rotatable to bring the desired socket into operative position, and the head being locked in any one of its predetermined adjusted positions.

The object of the present invention is to provide a wrench of this sort having various features of novelty and advantage and which is particularly cha *acterized by its simplicity and economy in ma-nufactin'e. its strength and durability, and the ease and facility with which the socket head may be adjusted and locked in place.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the appli cation of which will be indicated in the appended. claims.

In the accompanyingdrawings, wherein I have shown one embodiment which the present invention may take;

Figure 1 is an elevational view of my improved wrench; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 10 denotes gcnerally a brace of any suitable constrijiction and having at one end a handle 11. and at the other end a yoke or fork provided with parallel arms 12 between which the socket head is mounted.

The socket head, which may be of any suitable construction. is here shown as being a forged member having a hub 15, and. a plurality of radiating arms 16, each arm having, in its outer end, a. nut socket 17. The sockets vary in size from one another so as to accommodate nuts of different sizes. The socket head is fixed, as by means of a pin 19. to a gudgeon member 19. This gudgeon member, which may be in the form of a polygonal, for instance square, rod, extends axially through the hub 15, and its squared ends engage in alined openings adjacent the free ends of the arms 12 of the yoke. These openings, at their outer ends, as at 20, are of sufficient diameter or size to allow the 1926. Serial No. 106,212.

member 19 to turn therein, and the other portions 21 of the openings have straight parallel sides so as to closely receive the ends of the gudgeon member 19 and hold it and the socket head against turning when the wrench is in operative condition. For the purpose of maintaining the head, when the wrench is in use, with the gudegon mem ber 19 engaging in the squared portions 21 of the openings, there is provided a friction washer 25 which is urged against the inside face of one of the arms 12 by a spring 26 mounted in a counter-bore 27 at one end of the hub portion 15. The washer 25 is preferably provided with an annular rib or boss 28 which slides in the outerend of the counterbore 2'7 so that the washer is properly maintained in position.

It will be seen, from the foregoing de scription taken in connection with the ac companying drawings, that when it is desired to adjust the socket head so as to bring a socket of desired size into operative position, the socket head, as a whole, is moved or slid outwardly so as to bring the gudgeon member 19 from the position shown in Fig. 1 to a position where the gudgeon member engages in the circular portions 20 of the slots. Then the socket head is turned to the desired position and moved inwardly towards the brace so as to again engage the squared ends of the gudgeon member 19 in the squared portions 21 of the slots. The friction washer and spring maintain the socket head in its locked position, that is to say, with the gudgeon member 19 engaging in the squared portions 21 of the slots.

It will be noted that my improved structure is very simple in construction, comprising but relatively few parts, each of which may be economically manufactured. The adjustment of the socket head may be had wit-h facility, it being unnecessary to operate any separate locking members, such as plungers or the like. hen the head has been properly adjusted, it is maintained in locked relation to the brace in a very effective and simple manner. The tool is very strong and is enabled to withstand very severe usage.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in' a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which. as a. matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween,

I claim as my invention:

1. A wrench of the character described having an adjustable socket head provided with a plurality of angularly spaced apart sockets ofv dili'erent sizes, and polygonal gudgeons; a brace having a pair of spaced arms between which said head is positioned, said arms having alined slots provided with portions in which said gudgeons are adapted to turn when adjusting the head, said slots having other portions closely receiving said gudgeons for locking the head against rotation when the parts are in operative relation, and means for frictionally holding said head in a position where said gudgeons engage in the last mentioned portions of said slots.

2. A wrench of the character described having a brace provided with a pair of with the gudgeon member engaging in the square portions of the slots.

3. A wrench of the character described having, an adjustable socket head provided with a plurality of angularly spaced apart sockets of different sizes, and polygonal gudgeons; a brace having a pair of spaced arms between which said head is positioned, said arms having alined slots provided with portions in which said gudgeons are adapted to turn when adjusting the wrench. said slots having other portions closely receiving said polygonal gudgeons for locking the head against rotation when the parts are in opera tive position, a washer carried by said head and engagii'ig one of said arms, and a spring urging said washer against said arm.

4-. A wrench of the charactm' described having, an adjustable socket head provided with a hub portion and a ilurality of radially extending arms, each with a socket in its outer end, a gudgeon member passing through and fixed to said hub and having square ends one end of said hub portion being coui'iterbored, a brace having a pair of spaced arms between which said socket head is positioned, said arms having alined slots provided with portions in which said gudgeon member is adapted to turn when adjusting the wrench, said slots having square portions closely receiving the square ends of said gudgeon member for locking the head against rotation when the parts are in operative relation, a washer on one end of said hub and having a boss engaging in said counterbore, and a spring in said counter-bore norn'ially urging said washer against one of said arms.

JOHN H. DOWD. 

